Embrace Your Personal Power

Embrace Your Personal Power

In our roles as leaders who serve in various capacities, personal power relates to knowing who we are, recognizing our raison d’etre, being in charge of our lives and taking full responsibility for it. It has nothing to do with how muscular we are or how well we can strong arm and manipulate others. Leaders who effectively exercise their personal power understand that they are not in a competition with others, but are constantly competing against themselves in a quest to reach their full potential. Leaders who compete against themselves will celebrate their successes and use them to catapult them forward. They always strive to do better than before.

Having the Kingdom of God residing within us gives us the ability/authority to change environments. We are, in essence, transformers – here to make a difference. The authority that we have as believers is what gives power its rights to be exercised. Some leaders, like babies, don’t recognize the power they have on the inside and therefore abdicate that power to someone else out of ignorance, fear or insecurity. When God gives us an assignment, we actually doubt and render ourselves powerless when we say we can’t even when God says we can.

Never allow anything or anyone to cause you to give up your personal power! Take responsibility for yourself!

Leaders who are unaware of their power and how to tap into it are virtually ineffective because in this case power is not serving its purpose. There are still others who having recognized their personal power, make the decision to use it for evil. The halls of history bear the evidence of this. Have you ever seen leaders in action who seemingly lacking any sensitivity or compassion hurt others over and over again without even trying too hard? These leaders will always end up having to apologize for something or correcting some situation because they unconsciously and unintentionally say things that wound, offend, etc. They seem to tear down rather than edify. As leaders in God’s kingdom we should never desire to be like those who are described in II Timothy 3:15 “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. The Bible warns us to turn away from these types of people.

Sometimes leaders who have strong personalities will find it easy to have people do what they want without a fight so they use it to their advantage. However, leaders who don’t have power over their own selfish desires and their own thoughts can’t properly lead anyone else. Proverbs 25:28 clearly reminds us that “He that [hath] no rule over his own spirit [is like] a city [that is] broken down,[and] without walls.”

Our power is not to be abused by controlling others, being unethical, or evil. Our personal power exists to assist us in being the best we can be. Therefore we must practice self-discipline in order to temper that power!

Leaders sometimes say things like “they made me do it” or “the devil made me do it”. Every time those words are uttered, the leader assigns his personal power to someone else. Every leader was endowed with power that resides on the inside. Whether or not that power is manifested is very often a matter of having the will to act.

Final thoughts:• God is the source of all power and influence. • We must be diligent stewards over the power and influence god has graced us with. • Rather than running away from challenges and sticking our heads in a hole, we must determine to see problems as simply opportunities for us to exercise our power with grace and love. • When in doubt, question your thoughts. Determine if you are really powerless in the situation or are you allowing negative thoughts to drain you of your power to act? • Think positively and begin to act on the things that you desire.